May 8, 2025 • 25 mins
Please enjoy Big Pipe a great episode of the OTR legend Dragnet
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Drag Matt.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. The
body of an attractive woman has been found in the
downtown office building, beaten to death with a piece.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Of lead pipe. The killer has escaped into the city.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Your job find him. It was Thursday, April fifteenth. It
was worn in Los Angeles. We were working to day
watch out a homicide detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The
boss's captain Army. My name's Friday. We just left the
murdered room and it was seven.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Forty am when we got to Sweet seven eighteen the
building manager's office.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Miss Joyce, Yes, you men, coffs, Yes, ma'am, we understand
you're the one who found the bodies.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
That right, Oh, that's right. I followed her. Oh it
was an awful city.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
This my frightner, Frank Smith. My name is Friddy. When
if you feel up to telling us exactly what happened?
Speaker 5 (01:18):
Oh sure, just about the most terrible thing ever happened
to you, man. No thanks, Jady brought me some hot coffee.
Who's Jennie Jenny, ohcause she works the first three floors.
She brought me some hot coffee. She was up here
and they let her bring it.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
All right, missus Joyce, if you just tell us about
it place.
Speaker 5 (01:37):
Right from the beginning. You want to hear all about.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
The whole thing, if you would please.
Speaker 6 (01:41):
Well, I came on at four, just like always, I
punched in and came up to the tenth floor and
started in, got the things out of the closet on
the tenth. Usually I started on the seventh, But now
then I like to do it a little different, and
I start on ten and worked down.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yes, ma'am, what time was it when I found a body?
Speaker 6 (02:00):
Oh, just a few minutes ago I got I guess
about seven right around and there. I only had two
more officers to do and i'd be finished. I just
had two more when I got there.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yes, mam, could go ahead and tell us about finding nobody.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
Oh. Well, I unlocked the door and I saw the
light inside. I thought it was kind of funny, cause
usually it's dark, Yes, and where missus Fitzgerald's desk is,
it's usually dark.
Speaker 6 (02:29):
I thought it was kind of funny, like I said,
But then I thought that maybe she was working. She
does a county you know, woman accountant, and.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
I thought she was working, so I knocked.
Speaker 6 (02:40):
I didn't just wanna go right in if she was working,
you know, disturbers.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
I knocked, but she didn't answer.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I'd go ahead, please.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
Well, I opened the door and went in right off.
I was kind of sore about it. No excuse for
a thing like that, No excuse, though, I well.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
Didn't you see the place, didn't you look? Well, then
you know what a mess it was.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
Papers all over the floor and the ashtrays spilled all
that mess.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
And I'm supposed to be through at seven point thirty.
I'd never have made it, never got through on time.
And that's when I saw her behind the desk. Oh,
it's an awful sick you know. She was on the
floor dead.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
There was no one else in the office, show just
missus Fitzgerald.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
She was on the floor behind the desk.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I want you do that, well, I screamed.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
Low as loud as I could. I wanted somebody to
come up there right away. When that was the first
time I ever saw anybody dead. And then I run
out of the office and went downstairs to get somebody
to help. Just an awful thing. Oh, poor misusmas child.
Oh she was so nice all the.
Speaker 6 (03:53):
Time, saying hello when she'd come in early and I'd
still be working.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
Oh, I think, well, I just can't believe that it
is true. I just can't hardly believe it.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Did you see anyone on the floor while you were working, just,
missus Fitzgerald, No, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I mean, was there anybody in the halls of the building.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
Oh no, no, not that I saw.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
There wasn't anybody. I'd have seen them if they was there,
but they weren't.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
All right, Miss Joyce. We'll contact you tomorrow about a statement. Meantime,
we'll leave you one of our cards here if you
think of anything we should know, we'd appreciate if you
give us a call.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Oh, I sure will anything at all. I think I'll
call you.
Speaker 7 (04:30):
Then I go now, yes, ma'am, I gotta.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
Go home and take a hot bath and come my
nerves surely. Oh sure, it's gonna be a shocked or
for us. But you know, mister Fitzgerald, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
What about it?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
So bother that?
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Which why do you say that?
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Shouldn't have said anything? Not a word I shouldn't have
told you I'd get fired.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Sure, well it's got anything to do with miss fitzgerald death.
Maybe a better tell us.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
Start to think, well, if you'll promise not to tell
a supervisor, all right, go ahead. It gets dull just
being in a big building by yourself, all alone at
night when there isn't anybody around.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
It's pretty dull.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
Once in a while, not real awesome, but just once
in a while.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
I kind of.
Speaker 6 (05:15):
Read some of the letters that people throw away, you know,
in the waste basket. They don't want him anymore, so
when it gets real dull, I read 'em. And I've
read some in missus Fitzgerald's office from her husband, mister Fitzgerald.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
Yeah, seems like they've been having some kind of a
big fight, going to court and hall.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
I don't know what it's all about, but they've been fighting.
And in the letters he tells how she.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
Ought to leave him alone. I guess she's asking for
a lot of almost, I mean, that's what it's.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
Some of the letters the way he wrote to her,
I mean, used to threaten her all the time.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You saw these letters where he threatened her digit yes.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
One, I guess it was about a week ago. He
said in that if she tried to railroad the thing through.
Now that's what he said, railroad the thing through, he'd
come up here and.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Well that's all there is.
Speaker 6 (06:07):
I couldn't find the other piece of the letter where
he said what he was gonna do. See she tore
up the letters after she read him.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
All right, miss Joyce, thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
I hope I helped.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yes, I certainly have.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Wish I could have found that other piece of the letter.
No way of knowing what it said. You suppose he
really meant it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I don't know. We'll ask him.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
By the time Frank and I had arrived at the scene,
the crew from the crime Lamb was there. Photographs of
the entire room were taken and fingerprints were lifted from
the edges of the desk, from the top of a lamp,
and from the molding around the door. The murder weapon,
a fifteen inch section of heavy lead pipe, was booked
for evidence. There was nothing we could tell from the
pipe itself other than the fact that it was the
murder instrument.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
There was a plain piece of three quarter inch pipe.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
One end was wrapped in a heavy brown paper, the
other was bloodstained. The appearance of the office it looked
as if robbery was the motive for the crime. However,
on examination of the victim's personal effects, we found that
two large diamond rings were still in their fingers. In
her purse we found cash in the amount of two
hundred and twenty six dollars. On the desk itself we
found a woman's wrist watch set with twelve diamonds. The
(07:17):
fact that none of this had been removed apparently ruled
out robbery as the motive. The other employees of the
building were questioned, but they were unable to shed any
light on a possible suspect. None of them had seen
any unauthorized persons in the place after closing hours. People
on the street and the immediate vicinity were questioned. The
only lead we were able to come up with was
that at approximately seven oh two am, a newsboy had
(07:37):
seen a short, stocky man walk from the office building entrance.
Other than the brief description of the man's build, the
witness was unable to tell us anything. An immediate broadcast
was gotten out. On what information we had from a
telephone book in the victim's desk, we got an address
for her husband, Oscar Fitzgerald, was a men's club located
in downtown Los Angeles.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Frank and I drove over to talk to him. Come in,
Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (08:00):
Sit now, I'll call for some comfort you fellas once?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Then? No, no thing? Oh sure, don't matter if I
have something? No, you go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (08:07):
Room service please kind of early for the cops to
come call.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yees, sir, I guess it is. Uh, this is miss
Fitzgerald room for seventeen. Would you please send up a
pot of coffee?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
That's right?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Oh, and uh send large glass of barns us too.
Huh yeah, make sure it's called four seventeen.
Speaker 7 (08:23):
Right.
Speaker 8 (08:24):
One thing I can't go is warm marries juice like
see right? Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
Now.
Speaker 7 (08:29):
I wants this all about what do you want to
see me for?
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Well? When's the last time you saw your wife? Ada?
Thank you? I guess a couple of weeks ago. Why
can you nire that down to a day.
Speaker 7 (08:39):
Why any special reason for me too?
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Or we'd like to hear it? Let me see it.
I guess it was around March thirtieth. I can check it.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
If it's important Forde to see her as my lawyers
we had a conference to try and work out the
divorce and settlement.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
What am I? I work? Are you in? Fitzgerald?
Speaker 3 (08:53):
I think you'd better tell me what this is all
about before I answer any more questions. If this is
some sort of trick, it's trying you thought it won't
work and you can get out my back. No, it's
no trick. I think it might be better if you
co operate with us and answer the question. Alright, But
I'm gonna tell you going in that if you try
to pull a fast one, I'm gonna deny everything I
tell you now.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
If you tell us the truth, you won't have any trouble.
No where do you work right now? I'm between Well,
what's that meaning exactly?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I'm an actor right now?
Speaker 8 (09:16):
I haven't gotten a sign?
Speaker 1 (09:17):
What's your work? Last picture studio?
Speaker 7 (09:20):
But continue? You tell me what this is for. I'm
not gonna give any names.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Can you give us your movements for the past few
days starting went Now, let's try the day before yesterday? Okay,
I got up and went out to see my agent.
Of course that was a waste of time, hung around
the office for a couple hours, and then had lunch
on the strip.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
After that.
Speaker 7 (09:37):
I came downtown, saw a movie. I came home, took
a shower to catch the dinner jag.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
You prove that what I have to?
Speaker 8 (09:42):
Yeah, but you're getting no names until I know what's
going on.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
All right, how about yesterday? What'd you do? Then?
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I got up and went out to my agency told
me he had a part on it fire. We went
out on an interview. I was at the studio until
about four thirty, and then we went back to my
agent's office and had a couple of drinks.
Speaker 7 (09:57):
After I came back here, didn't feel too good, and
I went to bed.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
The man at the desk would be able to verify
all that? Would he? Yeah?
Speaker 8 (10:02):
I just asked me, I said, Gerald, how'd you get
along with your wife? Well, it's not any of your business,
but I'll tell you it isn't any secret.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I hated everything about it. Do you ever have any
fights with her?
Speaker 7 (10:11):
Not more than five a week for the past four years.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Do you ever hit her?
Speaker 3 (10:15):
You know people win money for answering questions on quiz shows.
What happens if I answered the big Well.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
That depends on how you gonna answer it. When I
understand you wrote your wife some threatening letters.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Now, is that right?
Speaker 7 (10:24):
I guess you could call him her.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
I told her to get off my back and leave
me alone. Told her she didn't she was building more
trouble than she could have.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
You ever threaten her life?
Speaker 7 (10:32):
No, I'm not gonna try to tell you that. There
weren't times when I could have killed Aida.
Speaker 8 (10:36):
There were a lot of 'em, but it wasn't worth it,
not for her or jargue about mostly divorced.
Speaker 7 (10:41):
I've been trying to get one for the last four years.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Ada wouldn't see it.
Speaker 8 (10:44):
Finally, when I did talk her into it, the settlement
she wanted was way out of line.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
It wouldn't go for.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
It, and told her, so, well, what's all this about
the fights and the threatening anyway, something happened to it
is that it?
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yes, sir, she been hurt, but it's more serious than
that she did. Yes, sir, do you think I did?
And I were checking everybody that knew her?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Okay, I told you there were times when I could
have when I maybe wanted to, but I wouldn't go
to jail.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Not Ever.
Speaker 7 (11:10):
You got to find out a boy, and when you do,
I'll go his.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Lawyer's fate, you know. I'd they do it? Piece of
lead pint bad?
Speaker 7 (11:16):
You know, rough way to go?
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Is there an easy way?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
We made a preliminary search of the room, but we
found nothing that would tie in the victim's husband, Oscar Fitzgerald,
with the crime. We talked to the desk clerk and
he verified the man's story that he'd been in his
apartment the evening of the killer. Fitzgerald made arrangements with
us to attend the coroner's inquest, and Frank and I
went back to the city hall. We checked with a
crime lab on their investigation. Lieutenant Lee Jones told us
that they'd been able to lift several partial fingerprints from
(11:47):
the murder weapon, but that they were impossible to classify.
He went on to say that the other prince that
had been found at the scene were unusable as evidence
since it would be difficult to get enough points for identification.
The other physical evidence taken from the office was of
little year. A check had been made of the piece
of pipe, but it was found to be of a
common type and impossible to trace. Micro Photographs had been
made at the serrated edges, and these had been booked
(12:09):
as evidence. We asked the Stats office to make a
run on the mo of the crime, and they told
us that they would start through their files immediately. For
the next two days, Frank and I talked to all
of the friends and relatives of the victim, attempting.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
To find a motive for the crime.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
From what we had to work on, the only plausible
reason for the killing was either revenge or jealousies. None
of missus Fitzgerald's friends or business acquaintances were able to
point out anyone with a strong enough reason to kill
the woman.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Monday, April nineteenth, Frank.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
And I got back to the office after interviewing one
of the victim's business competitors. Now that's another one that
didn't go any place, And it seems like that's all
we've been drawn on this.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
One, doesn't it. Yeah, I'll check the book.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Anything coming from the stats office, Yeah, No, said to
have the rest of run for us this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
First punch didn't turn in and I got it.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Homicide Friday, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Janet, anything on them, sure or no place? Now, I
don't know. Anything's gotta be. You wanna give me that address?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
All right?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
All right, we'll check in good right, Jack, Thanks again, Bye,
Jack McCready says he talked to one of his informants
this morning than came up with a couple of good things.
Maybe yeah, one of 'em is about a guy and
he want be a bar. Fourth and Core.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Fell us pretty drunk and doing a lot of talking
down there. Something for us.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Maybe he's bragging about beating a woman to death with
a piece of pipe. Four forty pm, we left the
office and drove over to the corner of Fourth and Core.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
You known to be a bar. When we walked in,
there were only a few customers in the place.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
At the far end of the bar, a short, stocky
man was sitting alone. In front of him was an
empty shot glass in the bottle of beer. He appeared
to be pretty drunk, and as we entered, he was.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Talking to the other people seated at the bar.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
And if you guys that don't believe it, just come
outside with me.
Speaker 9 (13:54):
I'll show you, show you all, every one of you
by tender.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I got an empty glass. Now let's do something about it. Huh.
He doesn't drink? Thank you had about nothing? I don't you?
I said he had enough to drink. Who are you
to tell me that? Huh?
Speaker 9 (14:11):
Who are you to come in here and tell me
what to do. What's the matter? You think your cops
or something? Huh is that what you think.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
You call it? Come on, go and talk to you.
Speaker 9 (14:19):
You mean you are cockisright? Well listen, you better get
out of here and do it fast. If you know
what's good for you, you just better.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Rank you take your heads off me. You guys don't
here good? Do you stand still?
Speaker 9 (14:33):
Can you come missing around with me? You're gonna find out.
You'll find out good. I'll give you the same thing
I gave her, the same thing.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Hold all right, come on, mister, what are you talking about?
I'll tell you. I'll tell you good and you'll know.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
Leave me alone.
Speaker 9 (14:47):
If you know what's good for you. I'm talking about
that Ada Fitzgerald. That's who had go messing with me,
and you forget what she got. I'm a pretty rough fellow,
you know, pretty rough.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That's right.
Speaker 7 (15:01):
You're not dealing with a kid.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
You know that makes it even indeesn't it. You're not
dealing with a woman.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
We took the suspect down to the homicide squadron. He
identified himself as Carl Neely. He was handcuffed to a
chair and we ran his name through the record bureau.
He had a long string of arrests for various charges,
including attempted robbery, assault, an assault with intend to do
great bodily harm. He'd never been convicted on a felamy,
but his records showed that he'd served two terms in
the county jail for drunk charges and creating a public nuisance.
(15:33):
While we were checking his record, the suspect passed out
in an alcoholic stupor.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
In the squadron.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
We contacted Sergeant Jack McCready and Officer Danny Galindo and
asked them to make.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
A search of the suspect's residence.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
In going over the place, they found a bloodstained shirt
in the coat. The garments were packed in a cardboard
box that had been hidden under the kitchen sink. They
were brought downtown to us, along with an empty envelope
found in the apartment. It had been sent to the
suspect Neelie, and the return address on the back indicated
that the letter had been sent by the victims of
home husband Oscar Fitzgerald. We waited for the suspect to
come to enough for us the question, and Frank went
(16:05):
out and brought back some hot coffee. We tried to
get Neeli to drink some of it. Eight forty pm.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
It's hot, all right, come on, try some more pig cops. Uh,
you've been the wrong before. Yeah, what am I here for?
I wanna talk you about the Fitzgerald woman here spouting
off again? Just said you killed her? Here. Guess every
(16:37):
time I get tanked up, I always killed somebody. All right,
tell us about the Fitzgerald woman. Nothing to tell right
about in papers?
Speaker 9 (16:46):
This morning I started drinking wet by the way, Tell
people I killed somebody.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
He's clothes here belonging to No words again? And are
they yours? I don't know you got that many clothes? Mm,
I know all the clothes. I got. No trouble at all.
I come off with Neil. You're in trouble here.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
You sat and beating a woman to death. We find
these clothes in your apartment, bloodstains all over him. Here's
another thing, his envelope.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
But you get this through the mail, like it's said stamp.
You know, Oscar Fitzgerald. I don't get mail letter.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Now.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
What was in that envelope? I don't think that's none
of your business. What we do? What kind of dealings
have you got with Oscar Fitzgerald?
Speaker 9 (17:19):
He used to work for him doing what I took
care of the place when him and he were married,
sort of a general handy man.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Would't you see him last?
Speaker 9 (17:27):
I don't know, maybe a couple of months ago around there,
a couple of three months.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And wanted to find so important that he wrote you
about it. O. You loaned me some money. He sent
me a check. It was alone. Huh yeah, signed any
sort of note for the money. I endorsed the check.
Get set on.
Speaker 9 (17:41):
I was alone. What are you guys trying to prove anyway?
You're trying to tie me in when they is killing.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
We look good for it.
Speaker 9 (17:48):
You're off your rock or I had nothing to do
with it. Sure you got me for drunk, but that's
all your.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Record makes you look good for him. Clothes we found
in your apartment don't help you. You sure Oscar Fitzgerald
didn't pay you to kill his wife.
Speaker 9 (17:59):
Be a lot better if you told the truth or
any I'm telling you the truth. It's right in front
of you. All you gotta do is open your eyes.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
It's there where the bloodstains come from. There mine tell
us about it.
Speaker 9 (18:08):
I got in a fight with another fo a bar
down on seventh When Wednesday?
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Last week and last Wednesday? What time did you have
this fight? Closing time? I'd make about two o'clock. That's
when the bar's cloak.
Speaker 9 (18:21):
Where'd you go after you had to fight? After a
friend's house? I had a couple more drinks.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Was a friend? You don't know him? He's got no reck.
What's his name? I don't want him dragged in any
what's his name? Vacuum meadows? Let me see your hands,
neely here. You got some pretty bad bruises there.
Speaker 9 (18:40):
You must have hit something pretty hard fight I told
you about. That's where those came from.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Tell us what you did after you left the bar?
I told you I went up to Jackie's. I had
a couple of drinks. What times you get there? Around three?
Maybe three ten? What times you leave? About five? Where'd
you go?
Speaker 9 (18:57):
I don't remember too good. I was pretty boozed up.
Do you think you went well? Jack He was worried
about me being cut up from the fight. He wanted
me to see a doc. Now throw me down at
George's Street Receiving Hospital. You know I was there until
nine to thirty Thursday morning, a.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Call was put through to doctor Hall at George Street
Receiving Hospital, asking if a patient was given emergency treatment
on the morning of Thursday, April fifteenth. A search of
the hospital records verified the story told to us by
the suspect, Carl Neely. We checked through our crime reports
and we found that a miscellaneous injury report had been made.
From the coroner's report, we knew that the victim had
been murdered between the hours of five am and seven
(19:42):
am on that morning. We got in touch with Neelie's friend,
Jackie Meadows, and he also verified the suspect story. He
was booked in at the Main jail in the charge
of being drunk in a public place and Frank and
I started checking out the remainder of the list that
the Stats office had given us. Originally there had been
twelve names on the list. We talked to tenem. The eleventh,
a Norman Sitkon, had a record of burgery, attempted robbery
(20:03):
and assaulted the deadly weapon.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
He'd been arrested and.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Brought the trial on charge of murder three years previously,
but he'd been acquitted. The circumstances surrounding his arrest were
the same as those in the Fitzgerald case. The main
reason he'd been released a free man was the testimony
of his mother, who had sworn that Sitkin had been
home with her on the night of the killing. When
we went out to his home, we found that he
wasn't there. We talked to his mother and she told
us that he'd been in San Diego for the past
(20:26):
three days. Under interrogation, we established the fact that on
the night of the Fitzgerald killing, Sitkin hadn't been at home,
but that he had been.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
In Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
We put in a call of the San Diego authorities
and talked to Lieutenant Mark Gere in the homicide Detail.
We contacted the hotel where he was staying in Los Angeles,
and a twenty four hour stakeout was placed on the location. Wednesday,
April twenty first, Frank and I got back from lunch.
Speaker 8 (20:48):
Better put on a call to MORKU see if they
got any set kick.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Yeah, we won't go hide school care. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (21:02):
Hi to Frank Smith, robbery, Yeah, I like putting the
call of San Diego p D Homicide Bureau and Lieutenant
Mark gear.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
No, it's a homicide. Yeah. D r one three two
five four nine. Yeah, that's one.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
That's three two six eight huh well five eight right? Okay, Sam, thanks,
I'm on this one general. Sorry homicide fidy, Yes, sir, no,
that's right.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
When was that? Yes, sir?
Speaker 4 (21:40):
By the way, I can't like call frany what do
you got? Sick and just walked into his hotel. Frank
and I left the office immediately and drove out the
Sitkons hotel. We talked to the officers on steak out
and they told us at the suspect of just returned.
They went on to explain that they'd given SI give
no reason to suspect that anyone was wrong, and that
(22:02):
he'd gone directly to his room. Frank and I got
in the elevator and we went up to the fourth floor.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Yeah, I just do that. Yeah, what do you want you,
Norman Siking? Yeah? What do you want? Police office? Come on,
you get a right to do this. Let me see
your war get your coat? Sick, wanna talk to you?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
What?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
What do you gotta talk to me about it? I
got nothing to say. That's your coach? Why what's the charge?
Speaker 5 (22:30):
What are you taking me in for?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Suspicion? The murder you kids. Well, you just keep thinking that.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
I mean, this is for real. Come on, let's go.
I'll wait a minute. I wanna know what this is
all about.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
That's so, but sure, figure.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
I had something to do with that woman who was
beating the death downtown from Fitzgerald.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
I think that's the name. Huh, isn't that what you think?
Well you seem to know all about it.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Well, you're way off on this one. I got an
alibi that you can't break. I can see you guys
figuring because I stood this kind of beef once before.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You can make a stick. This time I won't work.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
Cop.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
None of it fits to get.
Speaker 7 (22:57):
I can prove I was that night.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Every minute, all right, that's right, Every minute you check
in my house happens. I was with my mother, just
like the other time.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
All night I was home. You're gonna stand on me.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Well, there isn't any other way, and that's gonna make
a lot easier. Then what's that supposed to make. We
talked to your mother. She says you weren't home that night,
but she's wrong.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You'll let me talk to her. She'll tell you. You
just let me talk to her. She's sure you weren't there.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
She's willing to testify to that yet out of my way?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Right on when you get the cuss yeah, I'll still
funny in it.
Speaker 8 (23:31):
What's that that looks like he might have been good
on at first killing when he was acquitted on his
mother might have lied on the stand.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
I was not gonna make a lot of difference, is it.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
Huh, He's gonna make up for it on this one.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Norman Edward Sitkin was tried and convicted for murder in
the first degree on recommendation of the jury. He received
a maximum penalty, and on July nineteenth, he was executed
in the lethal.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Gas chamber at the state Penitentials. I'm Clinton, California.
Speaker 9 (24:02):
Dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 8 (25:00):
Pol pot fish
Speaker 9 (25:13):
Covered, fish covered
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Drag Matt.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. The
body of an attractive woman has been found in the
downtown office building, beaten to death with a piece.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Of lead pipe. The killer has escaped into the city.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Your job find him. It was Thursday, April fifteenth. It
was worn in Los Angeles. We were working to day
watch out a homicide detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The
boss's captain Army. My name's Friday. We just left the
murdered room and it was seven.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Forty am when we got to Sweet seven eighteen the
building manager's office.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Miss Joyce, Yes, you men, coffs, Yes, ma'am, we understand
you're the one who found the bodies.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
That right, Oh, that's right. I followed her. Oh it
was an awful city.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
This my frightner, Frank Smith. My name is Friddy. When
if you feel up to telling us exactly what happened?
Speaker 5 (01:18):
Oh sure, just about the most terrible thing ever happened
to you, man. No thanks, Jady brought me some hot coffee.
Who's Jennie Jenny, ohcause she works the first three floors.
She brought me some hot coffee. She was up here
and they let her bring it.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
All right, missus Joyce, if you just tell us about
it place.
Speaker 5 (01:37):
Right from the beginning. You want to hear all about.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
The whole thing, if you would please.
Speaker 6 (01:41):
Well, I came on at four, just like always, I
punched in and came up to the tenth floor and
started in, got the things out of the closet on
the tenth. Usually I started on the seventh, But now
then I like to do it a little different, and
I start on ten and worked down.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yes, ma'am, what time was it when I found a body?
Speaker 6 (02:00):
Oh, just a few minutes ago I got I guess
about seven right around and there. I only had two
more officers to do and i'd be finished. I just
had two more when I got there.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yes, mam, could go ahead and tell us about finding nobody.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
Oh. Well, I unlocked the door and I saw the
light inside. I thought it was kind of funny, cause
usually it's dark, Yes, and where missus Fitzgerald's desk is,
it's usually dark.
Speaker 6 (02:29):
I thought it was kind of funny, like I said,
But then I thought that maybe she was working. She
does a county you know, woman accountant, and.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
I thought she was working, so I knocked.
Speaker 6 (02:40):
I didn't just wanna go right in if she was working,
you know, disturbers.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
I knocked, but she didn't answer.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I'd go ahead, please.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
Well, I opened the door and went in right off.
I was kind of sore about it. No excuse for
a thing like that, No excuse, though, I well.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
Didn't you see the place, didn't you look? Well, then
you know what a mess it was.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
Papers all over the floor and the ashtrays spilled all
that mess.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
And I'm supposed to be through at seven point thirty.
I'd never have made it, never got through on time.
And that's when I saw her behind the desk. Oh,
it's an awful sick you know. She was on the
floor dead.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
There was no one else in the office, show just
missus Fitzgerald.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
She was on the floor behind the desk.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I want you do that, well, I screamed.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
Low as loud as I could. I wanted somebody to
come up there right away. When that was the first
time I ever saw anybody dead. And then I run
out of the office and went downstairs to get somebody
to help. Just an awful thing. Oh, poor misusmas child.
Oh she was so nice all the.
Speaker 6 (03:53):
Time, saying hello when she'd come in early and I'd
still be working.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
Oh, I think, well, I just can't believe that it
is true. I just can't hardly believe it.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Did you see anyone on the floor while you were working, just,
missus Fitzgerald, No, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I mean, was there anybody in the halls of the building.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
Oh no, no, not that I saw.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
There wasn't anybody. I'd have seen them if they was there,
but they weren't.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
All right, Miss Joyce. We'll contact you tomorrow about a statement. Meantime,
we'll leave you one of our cards here if you
think of anything we should know, we'd appreciate if you
give us a call.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Oh, I sure will anything at all. I think I'll
call you.
Speaker 7 (04:30):
Then I go now, yes, ma'am, I gotta.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
Go home and take a hot bath and come my
nerves surely. Oh sure, it's gonna be a shocked or
for us. But you know, mister Fitzgerald, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
What about it?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
So bother that?
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Which why do you say that?
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Shouldn't have said anything? Not a word I shouldn't have
told you I'd get fired.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Sure, well it's got anything to do with miss fitzgerald death.
Maybe a better tell us.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
Start to think, well, if you'll promise not to tell
a supervisor, all right, go ahead. It gets dull just
being in a big building by yourself, all alone at
night when there isn't anybody around.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
It's pretty dull.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
Once in a while, not real awesome, but just once
in a while.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
I kind of.
Speaker 6 (05:15):
Read some of the letters that people throw away, you know,
in the waste basket. They don't want him anymore, so
when it gets real dull, I read 'em. And I've
read some in missus Fitzgerald's office from her husband, mister Fitzgerald.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
Yeah, seems like they've been having some kind of a
big fight, going to court and hall.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
I don't know what it's all about, but they've been fighting.
And in the letters he tells how she.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
Ought to leave him alone. I guess she's asking for
a lot of almost, I mean, that's what it's.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
Some of the letters the way he wrote to her,
I mean, used to threaten her all the time.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You saw these letters where he threatened her digit yes.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
One, I guess it was about a week ago. He
said in that if she tried to railroad the thing through.
Now that's what he said, railroad the thing through, he'd
come up here and.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Well that's all there is.
Speaker 6 (06:07):
I couldn't find the other piece of the letter where
he said what he was gonna do. See she tore
up the letters after she read him.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
All right, miss Joyce, thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
I hope I helped.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yes, I certainly have.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Wish I could have found that other piece of the letter.
No way of knowing what it said. You suppose he
really meant it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I don't know. We'll ask him.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
By the time Frank and I had arrived at the scene,
the crew from the crime Lamb was there. Photographs of
the entire room were taken and fingerprints were lifted from
the edges of the desk, from the top of a lamp,
and from the molding around the door. The murder weapon,
a fifteen inch section of heavy lead pipe, was booked
for evidence. There was nothing we could tell from the
pipe itself other than the fact that it was the
murder instrument.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
There was a plain piece of three quarter inch pipe.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
One end was wrapped in a heavy brown paper, the
other was bloodstained. The appearance of the office it looked
as if robbery was the motive for the crime. However,
on examination of the victim's personal effects, we found that
two large diamond rings were still in their fingers. In
her purse we found cash in the amount of two
hundred and twenty six dollars. On the desk itself we
found a woman's wrist watch set with twelve diamonds. The
(07:17):
fact that none of this had been removed apparently ruled
out robbery as the motive. The other employees of the
building were questioned, but they were unable to shed any
light on a possible suspect. None of them had seen
any unauthorized persons in the place after closing hours. People
on the street and the immediate vicinity were questioned. The
only lead we were able to come up with was
that at approximately seven oh two am, a newsboy had
(07:37):
seen a short, stocky man walk from the office building entrance.
Other than the brief description of the man's build, the
witness was unable to tell us anything. An immediate broadcast
was gotten out. On what information we had from a
telephone book in the victim's desk, we got an address
for her husband, Oscar Fitzgerald, was a men's club located
in downtown Los Angeles.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Frank and I drove over to talk to him. Come in,
Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (08:00):
Sit now, I'll call for some comfort you fellas once?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Then? No, no thing? Oh sure, don't matter if I
have something? No, you go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (08:07):
Room service please kind of early for the cops to
come call.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yees, sir, I guess it is. Uh, this is miss
Fitzgerald room for seventeen. Would you please send up a
pot of coffee?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
That's right?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Oh, and uh send large glass of barns us too.
Huh yeah, make sure it's called four seventeen.
Speaker 7 (08:23):
Right.
Speaker 8 (08:24):
One thing I can't go is warm marries juice like
see right? Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
Now.
Speaker 7 (08:29):
I wants this all about what do you want to
see me for?
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Well? When's the last time you saw your wife? Ada?
Thank you? I guess a couple of weeks ago. Why
can you nire that down to a day.
Speaker 7 (08:39):
Why any special reason for me too?
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Or we'd like to hear it? Let me see it.
I guess it was around March thirtieth. I can check it.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
If it's important Forde to see her as my lawyers
we had a conference to try and work out the
divorce and settlement.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
What am I? I work? Are you in? Fitzgerald?
Speaker 3 (08:53):
I think you'd better tell me what this is all
about before I answer any more questions. If this is
some sort of trick, it's trying you thought it won't
work and you can get out my back. No, it's
no trick. I think it might be better if you
co operate with us and answer the question. Alright, But
I'm gonna tell you going in that if you try
to pull a fast one, I'm gonna deny everything I
tell you now.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
If you tell us the truth, you won't have any trouble.
No where do you work right now? I'm between Well,
what's that meaning exactly?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I'm an actor right now?
Speaker 8 (09:16):
I haven't gotten a sign?
Speaker 1 (09:17):
What's your work? Last picture studio?
Speaker 7 (09:20):
But continue? You tell me what this is for. I'm
not gonna give any names.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Can you give us your movements for the past few
days starting went Now, let's try the day before yesterday? Okay,
I got up and went out to see my agent.
Of course that was a waste of time, hung around
the office for a couple hours, and then had lunch
on the strip.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
After that.
Speaker 7 (09:37):
I came downtown, saw a movie. I came home, took
a shower to catch the dinner jag.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
You prove that what I have to?
Speaker 8 (09:42):
Yeah, but you're getting no names until I know what's
going on.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
All right, how about yesterday? What'd you do? Then?
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I got up and went out to my agency told
me he had a part on it fire. We went
out on an interview. I was at the studio until
about four thirty, and then we went back to my
agent's office and had a couple of drinks.
Speaker 7 (09:57):
After I came back here, didn't feel too good, and
I went to bed.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
The man at the desk would be able to verify
all that? Would he? Yeah?
Speaker 8 (10:02):
I just asked me, I said, Gerald, how'd you get
along with your wife? Well, it's not any of your business,
but I'll tell you it isn't any secret.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I hated everything about it. Do you ever have any
fights with her?
Speaker 7 (10:11):
Not more than five a week for the past four years.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Do you ever hit her?
Speaker 3 (10:15):
You know people win money for answering questions on quiz shows.
What happens if I answered the big Well.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
That depends on how you gonna answer it. When I
understand you wrote your wife some threatening letters.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Now, is that right?
Speaker 7 (10:24):
I guess you could call him her.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
I told her to get off my back and leave
me alone. Told her she didn't she was building more
trouble than she could have.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
You ever threaten her life?
Speaker 7 (10:32):
No, I'm not gonna try to tell you that. There
weren't times when I could have killed Aida.
Speaker 8 (10:36):
There were a lot of 'em, but it wasn't worth it,
not for her or jargue about mostly divorced.
Speaker 7 (10:41):
I've been trying to get one for the last four years.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Ada wouldn't see it.
Speaker 8 (10:44):
Finally, when I did talk her into it, the settlement
she wanted was way out of line.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
It wouldn't go for.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
It, and told her, so, well, what's all this about
the fights and the threatening anyway, something happened to it
is that it?
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yes, sir, she been hurt, but it's more serious than
that she did. Yes, sir, do you think I did?
And I were checking everybody that knew her?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Okay, I told you there were times when I could
have when I maybe wanted to, but I wouldn't go
to jail.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Not Ever.
Speaker 7 (11:10):
You got to find out a boy, and when you do,
I'll go his.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Lawyer's fate, you know. I'd they do it? Piece of
lead pint bad?
Speaker 7 (11:16):
You know, rough way to go?
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Is there an easy way?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
We made a preliminary search of the room, but we
found nothing that would tie in the victim's husband, Oscar Fitzgerald,
with the crime. We talked to the desk clerk and
he verified the man's story that he'd been in his
apartment the evening of the killer. Fitzgerald made arrangements with
us to attend the coroner's inquest, and Frank and I
went back to the city hall. We checked with a
crime lab on their investigation. Lieutenant Lee Jones told us
that they'd been able to lift several partial fingerprints from
(11:47):
the murder weapon, but that they were impossible to classify.
He went on to say that the other prince that
had been found at the scene were unusable as evidence
since it would be difficult to get enough points for identification.
The other physical evidence taken from the office was of
little year. A check had been made of the piece
of pipe, but it was found to be of a
common type and impossible to trace. Micro Photographs had been
made at the serrated edges, and these had been booked
(12:09):
as evidence. We asked the Stats office to make a
run on the mo of the crime, and they told
us that they would start through their files immediately. For
the next two days, Frank and I talked to all
of the friends and relatives of the victim, attempting.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
To find a motive for the crime.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
From what we had to work on, the only plausible
reason for the killing was either revenge or jealousies. None
of missus Fitzgerald's friends or business acquaintances were able to
point out anyone with a strong enough reason to kill
the woman.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Monday, April nineteenth, Frank.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
And I got back to the office after interviewing one
of the victim's business competitors. Now that's another one that
didn't go any place, And it seems like that's all
we've been drawn on this.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
One, doesn't it. Yeah, I'll check the book.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Anything coming from the stats office, Yeah, No, said to
have the rest of run for us this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
First punch didn't turn in and I got it.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Homicide Friday, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Janet, anything on them, sure or no place? Now, I
don't know. Anything's gotta be. You wanna give me that address?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
All right?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
All right, we'll check in good right, Jack, Thanks again, Bye,
Jack McCready says he talked to one of his informants
this morning than came up with a couple of good things.
Maybe yeah, one of 'em is about a guy and
he want be a bar. Fourth and Core.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Fell us pretty drunk and doing a lot of talking
down there. Something for us.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Maybe he's bragging about beating a woman to death with
a piece of pipe. Four forty pm, we left the
office and drove over to the corner of Fourth and Core.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
You known to be a bar. When we walked in,
there were only a few customers in the place.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
At the far end of the bar, a short, stocky
man was sitting alone. In front of him was an
empty shot glass in the bottle of beer. He appeared
to be pretty drunk, and as we entered, he was.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Talking to the other people seated at the bar.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
And if you guys that don't believe it, just come
outside with me.
Speaker 9 (13:54):
I'll show you, show you all, every one of you
by tender.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I got an empty glass. Now let's do something about it. Huh.
He doesn't drink? Thank you had about nothing? I don't you?
I said he had enough to drink. Who are you
to tell me that? Huh?
Speaker 9 (14:11):
Who are you to come in here and tell me
what to do. What's the matter? You think your cops
or something? Huh is that what you think.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
You call it? Come on, go and talk to you.
Speaker 9 (14:19):
You mean you are cockisright? Well listen, you better get
out of here and do it fast. If you know
what's good for you, you just better.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Rank you take your heads off me. You guys don't
here good? Do you stand still?
Speaker 9 (14:33):
Can you come missing around with me? You're gonna find out.
You'll find out good. I'll give you the same thing
I gave her, the same thing.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Hold all right, come on, mister, what are you talking about?
I'll tell you. I'll tell you good and you'll know.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
Leave me alone.
Speaker 9 (14:47):
If you know what's good for you. I'm talking about
that Ada Fitzgerald. That's who had go messing with me,
and you forget what she got. I'm a pretty rough fellow,
you know, pretty rough.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That's right.
Speaker 7 (15:01):
You're not dealing with a kid.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
You know that makes it even indeesn't it. You're not
dealing with a woman.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
We took the suspect down to the homicide squadron. He
identified himself as Carl Neely. He was handcuffed to a
chair and we ran his name through the record bureau.
He had a long string of arrests for various charges,
including attempted robbery, assault, an assault with intend to do
great bodily harm. He'd never been convicted on a felamy,
but his records showed that he'd served two terms in
the county jail for drunk charges and creating a public nuisance.
(15:33):
While we were checking his record, the suspect passed out
in an alcoholic stupor.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
In the squadron.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
We contacted Sergeant Jack McCready and Officer Danny Galindo and
asked them to make.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
A search of the suspect's residence.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
In going over the place, they found a bloodstained shirt
in the coat. The garments were packed in a cardboard
box that had been hidden under the kitchen sink. They
were brought downtown to us, along with an empty envelope
found in the apartment. It had been sent to the
suspect Neelie, and the return address on the back indicated
that the letter had been sent by the victims of
home husband Oscar Fitzgerald. We waited for the suspect to
come to enough for us the question, and Frank went
(16:05):
out and brought back some hot coffee. We tried to
get Neeli to drink some of it. Eight forty pm.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
It's hot, all right, come on, try some more pig cops. Uh,
you've been the wrong before. Yeah, what am I here for?
I wanna talk you about the Fitzgerald woman here spouting
off again? Just said you killed her? Here. Guess every
(16:37):
time I get tanked up, I always killed somebody. All right,
tell us about the Fitzgerald woman. Nothing to tell right
about in papers?
Speaker 9 (16:46):
This morning I started drinking wet by the way, Tell
people I killed somebody.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
He's clothes here belonging to No words again? And are
they yours? I don't know you got that many clothes? Mm,
I know all the clothes. I got. No trouble at all.
I come off with Neil. You're in trouble here.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
You sat and beating a woman to death. We find
these clothes in your apartment, bloodstains all over him. Here's
another thing, his envelope.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
But you get this through the mail, like it's said stamp.
You know, Oscar Fitzgerald. I don't get mail letter.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Now.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
What was in that envelope? I don't think that's none
of your business. What we do? What kind of dealings
have you got with Oscar Fitzgerald?
Speaker 9 (17:19):
He used to work for him doing what I took
care of the place when him and he were married,
sort of a general handy man.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Would't you see him last?
Speaker 9 (17:27):
I don't know, maybe a couple of months ago around there,
a couple of three months.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And wanted to find so important that he wrote you
about it. O. You loaned me some money. He sent
me a check. It was alone. Huh yeah, signed any
sort of note for the money. I endorsed the check.
Get set on.
Speaker 9 (17:41):
I was alone. What are you guys trying to prove anyway?
You're trying to tie me in when they is killing.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
We look good for it.
Speaker 9 (17:48):
You're off your rock or I had nothing to do
with it. Sure you got me for drunk, but that's
all your.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Record makes you look good for him. Clothes we found
in your apartment don't help you. You sure Oscar Fitzgerald
didn't pay you to kill his wife.
Speaker 9 (17:59):
Be a lot better if you told the truth or
any I'm telling you the truth. It's right in front
of you. All you gotta do is open your eyes.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
It's there where the bloodstains come from. There mine tell
us about it.
Speaker 9 (18:08):
I got in a fight with another fo a bar
down on seventh When Wednesday?
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Last week and last Wednesday? What time did you have
this fight? Closing time? I'd make about two o'clock. That's
when the bar's cloak.
Speaker 9 (18:21):
Where'd you go after you had to fight? After a
friend's house? I had a couple more drinks.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Was a friend? You don't know him? He's got no reck.
What's his name? I don't want him dragged in any
what's his name? Vacuum meadows? Let me see your hands,
neely here. You got some pretty bad bruises there.
Speaker 9 (18:40):
You must have hit something pretty hard fight I told
you about. That's where those came from.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Tell us what you did after you left the bar?
I told you I went up to Jackie's. I had
a couple of drinks. What times you get there? Around three?
Maybe three ten? What times you leave? About five? Where'd
you go?
Speaker 9 (18:57):
I don't remember too good. I was pretty boozed up.
Do you think you went well? Jack He was worried
about me being cut up from the fight. He wanted
me to see a doc. Now throw me down at
George's Street Receiving Hospital. You know I was there until
nine to thirty Thursday morning, a.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Call was put through to doctor Hall at George Street
Receiving Hospital, asking if a patient was given emergency treatment
on the morning of Thursday, April fifteenth. A search of
the hospital records verified the story told to us by
the suspect, Carl Neely. We checked through our crime reports
and we found that a miscellaneous injury report had been made.
From the coroner's report, we knew that the victim had
been murdered between the hours of five am and seven
(19:42):
am on that morning. We got in touch with Neelie's friend,
Jackie Meadows, and he also verified the suspect story. He
was booked in at the Main jail in the charge
of being drunk in a public place and Frank and
I started checking out the remainder of the list that
the Stats office had given us. Originally there had been
twelve names on the list. We talked to tenem. The eleventh,
a Norman Sitkon, had a record of burgery, attempted robbery
(20:03):
and assaulted the deadly weapon.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
He'd been arrested and.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Brought the trial on charge of murder three years previously,
but he'd been acquitted. The circumstances surrounding his arrest were
the same as those in the Fitzgerald case. The main
reason he'd been released a free man was the testimony
of his mother, who had sworn that Sitkin had been
home with her on the night of the killing. When
we went out to his home, we found that he
wasn't there. We talked to his mother and she told
us that he'd been in San Diego for the past
(20:26):
three days. Under interrogation, we established the fact that on
the night of the Fitzgerald killing, Sitkin hadn't been at home,
but that he had been.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
In Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
We put in a call of the San Diego authorities
and talked to Lieutenant Mark Gere in the homicide Detail.
We contacted the hotel where he was staying in Los Angeles,
and a twenty four hour stakeout was placed on the location. Wednesday,
April twenty first, Frank and I got back from lunch.
Speaker 8 (20:48):
Better put on a call to MORKU see if they
got any set kick.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Yeah, we won't go hide school care. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (21:02):
Hi to Frank Smith, robbery, Yeah, I like putting the
call of San Diego p D Homicide Bureau and Lieutenant
Mark gear.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
No, it's a homicide. Yeah. D r one three two
five four nine. Yeah, that's one.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
That's three two six eight huh well five eight right? Okay, Sam, thanks,
I'm on this one general. Sorry homicide fidy, Yes, sir, no,
that's right.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
When was that? Yes, sir?
Speaker 4 (21:40):
By the way, I can't like call frany what do
you got? Sick and just walked into his hotel. Frank
and I left the office immediately and drove out the
Sitkons hotel. We talked to the officers on steak out
and they told us at the suspect of just returned.
They went on to explain that they'd given SI give
no reason to suspect that anyone was wrong, and that
(22:02):
he'd gone directly to his room. Frank and I got
in the elevator and we went up to the fourth floor.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Yeah, I just do that. Yeah, what do you want you,
Norman Siking? Yeah? What do you want? Police office? Come on,
you get a right to do this. Let me see
your war get your coat? Sick, wanna talk to you?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
What?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
What do you gotta talk to me about it? I
got nothing to say. That's your coach? Why what's the charge?
Speaker 5 (22:30):
What are you taking me in for?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Suspicion? The murder you kids. Well, you just keep thinking that.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
I mean, this is for real. Come on, let's go.
I'll wait a minute. I wanna know what this is
all about.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
That's so, but sure, figure.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
I had something to do with that woman who was
beating the death downtown from Fitzgerald.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
I think that's the name. Huh, isn't that what you think?
Well you seem to know all about it.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Well, you're way off on this one. I got an
alibi that you can't break. I can see you guys
figuring because I stood this kind of beef once before.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You can make a stick. This time I won't work.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
Cop.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
None of it fits to get.
Speaker 7 (22:57):
I can prove I was that night.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Every minute, all right, that's right, Every minute you check
in my house happens. I was with my mother, just
like the other time.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
All night I was home. You're gonna stand on me.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Well, there isn't any other way, and that's gonna make
a lot easier. Then what's that supposed to make. We
talked to your mother. She says you weren't home that night,
but she's wrong.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You'll let me talk to her. She'll tell you. You
just let me talk to her. She's sure you weren't there.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
She's willing to testify to that yet out of my way?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Right on when you get the cuss yeah, I'll still
funny in it.
Speaker 8 (23:31):
What's that that looks like he might have been good
on at first killing when he was acquitted on his
mother might have lied on the stand.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
I was not gonna make a lot of difference, is it.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
Huh, He's gonna make up for it on this one.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Norman Edward Sitkin was tried and convicted for murder in
the first degree on recommendation of the jury. He received
a maximum penalty, and on July nineteenth, he was executed
in the lethal.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Gas chamber at the state Penitentials. I'm Clinton, California.
Speaker 9 (24:02):
Dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 8 (25:00):
Pol pot fish
Speaker 9 (25:13):
Covered, fish covered
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